Beginner’s Guide to Conquest in MLB The Show 26

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Conquest in MLB The Show 26 is a turn-based strategy mode that mixes baseball with board-game tactics, kind of like Risk. Your goal is simple: capture territories and Strongholds to earn rewards like Packs, Stubs, and high-tier Diamond players. The good news is, you don’t have to play every single game yourself—most of the map is conquered through simulation, letting you move fast and save time.

How a Turn Works

Each turn in Conquest has four phases:

Attack Phase – Move your fans into nearby territories. You can simulate most of these battles. Only play the full 3-inning game if you’re attacking a Stronghold (the hex with a team logo).
Steal Fans Phase – Optional. This lets you take fans from a CPU team directly, but it’s usually better to skip it. Playing extra games here wastes time for a small fan gain.
Reinforce Phase – You get new fans based on your territories (1 million fans for every 3 hexes). Stack them in one territory to build a strong attacking force.
Move Fans Phase – Shift fans between connected territories once per turn. Use this to get your main force ready for the next target.
Beginner Strategies to Win Faster
Expand for Free First – Capture as many empty gray hexes as you can early. These cost nothing and give you extra fans during Reinforce phases.
Lower the Difficulty – The difficulty of a Stronghold game depends on your fan-to-opponent ratio. Surround the enemy Stronghold and reinforce your attacking tile until you have 4x or more fans than the CPU to play on Rookie or Veteran.
Simulation is Key – Don’t manually play standard territory games. Even if simulations aren’t perfect, the time saved is huge.
Hunt for Hidden Rewards – Some maps hide Packs or Stubs under specific tiles. You don’t need to beat the Stronghold—just capture the right territory.
Use Your 5th Starter – When playing a Stronghold, pick your 5th best starting pitcher. The CPU has to match that rank, making hitting much easier.
Best Starter Maps for Beginners
Program Maps – Maps like Egg Hunt or WBC are smaller, finishing in 20–30 minutes. Great for quick XP and program rewards.
USA Map – This is the largest map in the game, often split into East, West, and Central regions. Completing it in segments is a smart way to collect high-value rewards without feeling overwhelmed.

If you want to speed up building your team, consider using mlb the show 26 stubs sale from a trusted platform like U4N. It’s used by competitive players to skip the boring grind and focus on practicing, so you can get to the fun part—winning games—faster. Think of it as a practical shortcut rather than just buying Stubs.